Imagine answering a call from an unknown number one afternoon and instead of hearing the voice of someone trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty as you expected, you instead hear panicked cries for help from your teenage daughter. You know for certain it’s her voice, and begin to panic as a man gets on the phone and tells you he’s kidnapped her and wants a significant amount of money in exchange for her release.

As the call goes on, however, you slowly begin to realize that something isn’t right as another family member has been able to reach your daughter by phone only to find that she’s safe and sound — causing you to realize that despite the fact you were absolutely certain it was her you heard on the phone, it wasn’t. Instead, it was a perfect copy of her voice created by artificial intelligence.

This frightening scenario is exactly what happened to one Arizona woman recently, and one that could happen to any of us as a result of this new technology.

Over the past few months, the news has been full of stories marking both the advancements and concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, or AI. In its most basic definition, AI is a computer software that has been developed to perform tasks that would normally require a human to do, such as serve as a virtual assistant (“Hey Siri”), operate a self-driving vehicle, or use facial recognition software. While all of these examples may sound harmless, there are significant concerns over the seemingly unlimited power AI could achieve one day as it continues to learn, adapt, and become even more capable of thinking and reacting in real time just like a human being.

One of the most significant and immediate risks AI poses to us all right now is the threat of identity theft through the use of what is known as a “deep fake.” Deep fakes are videos or voice recordings generated by AI meant to impersonate a real person — just like the one used against that mom in Arizona. AI’s rapidly growing learning capabilities have allowed for these types of impersonations to become extremely realistic and increasingly inexpensive to make — which means that it is becoming widely available to criminal organizations. As a result, we’ve seen a significant rise in scammers using AI to defraud innocent people of their money.

So as the news stories highlighting the growing dangers of deep fakes and other threats posed by AI have become more and more frequent, there is also a growing desire for the responsible regulation of this platform in order to protect the public.

In West Virginia, when our residents have been the victim of identity theft, they can turn to the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s office for help. This office, amongst many other things, works to educate West Virginians in order to help protect them from becoming the victims of fraud and identity theft.

The Attorney General’s office is also responsible for the enforcement of our state’s consumer protection laws. This means that oftentimes when West Virginians have been the victim of unlawful business practices when they’ve purchased goods or services, their first step is to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division.

Around the country, several state attorneys general have already taken action in order to protect their citizens from the dangers of unlawful discrimination in the financial and housing markets stemming from automated decisions being made by AI software instead of humans. Should West Virginians fall victim to these same types of practices in the future, it will be the responsibility of our Attorney General to step in and protect our citizens.

Over the past several months, it has become clear that, while AI offers the promise of major advancements in fields such as healthcare and manufacturing, this promise also comes with considerable risk. Because of the vital role that our Attorney General plays in preventing identity theft and protecting our consumers, it is imperative that this office be prepared to confront the challenges this technology will pose.

Before I became a lawyer, I served as an intelligence officer in the Air Force, and spent several years assigned to agencies within the U.S. Intelligence Community dealing with cybersecurity. As a legislator, I continued to work on this issue as an appointee to our state’s Policy Academy on Cyber Security.

West Virginia’s next Attorney General must be someone who understands this complex threat — and who would be able to adapt and lead the fight against it on behalf of our citizens. I firmly believe that my military and legislative experiences have prepared me to take on this role, and help to educate and protect West Virginians from the increasing threats posed by artificial intelligence.

Sen. Ryan Weld represents West Virginia’s 1st Senatorial District and serves as the Majority Whip, Chair of the Military Committee and Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee in the West Virginia Senate. He is an attorney with the firm of Spilman, Thomas & Battle, and a Republican candidate for Attorney General of West Virginia.